Prisoner 3861
by Shi-Toyu
Summary: A prison vessel from space has made an appearance on earth and it carries a few surprises with it. Implied FrostIron.


Prisoner 3861

Natasha eyed the lumbering mass of alien leading their group into the huge space ship warily. The ship was apparently supposed to be a prison of some kind, housing convicts from all across the Nine Realms and other planets as well. The species which served as the guards looked somewhat like miniature, grey Hulks, standing just over ten feet in height with jet black eyes and mouths that looked more like slashes across their faces. Their ship apparently needed repairs to the engine, something they were more than capable of performing the mechanics of themselves so long as they had a safe place to park. Earth had been the closest populated planet to their location.

Only three of the guards had departed the ship to meet the assembled Avengers and a whole contingency of SHIELD guards. The alien leader had seemed nearly as displeased as Fury when they found they were unable to communicate. A few barked orders and several long, tense minutes later, two more guards had exited the ship, dragging a bound Loki between them. The mad god had grinned manically upon setting his eyes upon the Avengers, but used his gift of All-Speak to act as a translator between the two factions. It helped that they could both understand exactly what he was saying to the other.

The alien leader had assured Fury and Steve of his peaceful intentions toward Earth, 'Terra', and his desire only for a place to dock for a few days. As a token of his good will, he said, he even had a 'great enemy' of Earth abord his ship, imprisoned there for quite some time. They were welcome to see the prisoner for themselves, if they had a desire to. Fury had, of course, agreed, much to Loki's suspicious glee. So that led them to their current predicament, with Fury, Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce following the guards and Loki back into their ship. Wanda would be keeping an eye on their brainwaves with the others. If there was trouble, the ship would be swarmed in a matter of seconds.

"This is the main prison area," Loki translated for the leader, as they approached a heavy-looking set of doors. "It is where we keep the general population unless trouble arises. There are higher security levels, of course, for when certain prisoners attempt to cause trouble." The leader made a noise like stones grinding against one another that Natasha had come to understand was a laugh. "Your enemy has been there many times, but we continue to try and teach him manners."

The doors opened to reveal that the group was on the top floor of what was essentially a metal pit. The walls were curved to create a perfect circle and hallways led away from the open center on the various floors. The pit was a good fifteen stories deep, with cells lining the walls. The entire floor of the level Natasha and the others were on was made of glass, at least three feet thick, by her estimation, and kept immaculately clean so that they could peer into the prison below and there was a chain hanging from it all the way to the bottom of the pit. Monitors surrounded the border of the room to give the occupants different views of what was going on with the prisoners. The alien leader grinned and held his arms out wide.

"You like it? It is the most elegant system in the galaxy, I assure you. Contact with the prisoners is never required. Dragas fetch them when it is necessary to move a prisoner from one section to another."

Clearly, that particular word did not translate through All-Speak.

"Dragas?" Steve asked.

The leader gestured for Loki to explain, which the god did with a sour look on his face.

"They are most similar to dogs or wolves of your realm, but much larger. Dragas stand easily as tall as you or I, with thick pelts that even the strongest of blades have trouble piercing. Here, they are bred to be vicious beasts meant to keep the prison population in line."

The leader's grin came back as he strode across the room so some kind of control panel and held down a button before speaking into it. Loki's back stiffened.

"You said he would not be harmed," he growled at the leader, taking a step forward threateningly only to be yanked back into place by one of the guards.

The leader said something back flippantly and Natasha eyed them through a narrowed gaze. Alarm bells sounded in her mind.

"What did he say," she asked Loki.

"That prisoner 3861," he spat, " _won't_ be harmed…so long as he runs fast enough." He gave a growl of frustration. "They will not risk him dying, though, as I would be completely uncontrollable afterwards. At least there is that small mercy. And…" he gave her a sidelong glance and dredged up a smile, "we do not plan on being here much longer."

The guard holding Loki in place shook him roughly and gave him a sharp warning. Only moments later, a buzzer sounded through the prison. The leader said something more and gave Loki an expectant look.

"That was the warning that the dragas are being released. They have a specific prisoner to find and anyone who does not wish to die should stay out of their way."

The reaction was instant among the prisoners. They had been milling about, some surprisingly human-looking aside from having skin of any color in the rainbow, but scrambled as soon as the buzzer sounded. There was shouting and shoving, prisoners literally scrambling over each other to find an unoccupied cell and pull the door shut behind them. Not all of them were lucky enough to find sanctuary before the dragas made their appearance.

The beasts were as Loki had described, towering in stature and vicious in expression. They snarled and snapped at the cells they passed, each of the half dozen splitting up to go their own separate way. One of the dragas found one cell to be of particular interest and slammed itself against the bars, bending them inwards in an attempt to get at the prisoner inside. Each of the beasts looked nearly identical with thick, white fur that had a bluish undertone. So busy was she watching the draga trying to rip its way into the cell that a commotion a few levels down and on the opposite side of the pit took her by surprise. The snarling and shouting came from down one of the hallways, the source still out of their sight though it wouldn't be for long. The alien leader chuckled and spoke again.

"The dragas have found their prey," Loki translated.

Mere moments later, one of the humanoid prisoners burst into view, his skin a bit pale without exposure to sunlight in only God knew how long. His hair was a deep chocolate brown and long enough that, when combined with a scruffy beard, Natasha could not have instantly recognized. Luckily, there was a circle of glowing light pouring forth from the man's chest as he ran. Natasha could picture his face perfectly, the determination it must display, as he vaulted over the railing that cordoned off the hollow center of the pit. He launched himself into the open air, barely reaching far enough to grab hold of the chain in the center to keep from plummeting to his death. Tony Stark, who no one had seen in more than two years since he had sacrificed his own life to fly a nuke through a portal, threw his head back and laughed as the draga prowled the edge of the pit, taking the occasional swipe at him but unable to reach him.

"Catch me now, fuckers! Fee fi foe fum! You'll have to come yourselves to get _this_ Englishman!"

He laughed more even as the other dragas gathered around him. Natasha risked a glance at Loki, who's manic grin was securely back in place, this time with pride tinging it.

"Do you see," the god asked, "the 'great enemy' of your world? Allow me to present to you prisoner 3861, Avengers." His gaze slid to meet Natasha's specifically. "The question now is, what are you going to do about it?"


End file.
